Broken Promise
by GAMF Fatlard Hobos
Summary: In a moment of desperation, Ulquiorra locks a hollowfied Ichigo away before he is able to fulfill his self-imposed duty to protect those he cares about. Perhaps being locked away for all eternity was better than receiving the full brunt of the consequence of his inaction against Spirit King Aizen Sousuke. Post-Winter War Apocalyptic Time-Travelling AU.
1. Prologue: La Caja de Negación

**Welcome to Broken Promise! This is a short prologue explaining the How and the Why. I am warning that this story will be very grim and dark plus probably long in length.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Ulquiorra continued dodging the onslaught of attacks from the hollowfied Ichigo. How he ever managed to contain such power baffled the Cuarta Espada. He was a human turned shinigami turned hollow, for crying out loud! How could someone supposed to be weak and insignificant become such a problem for their plans?

The pseudo-hollow landed a nasty cut on his arm, rendering it useless. The Arrancar stared impassively at the Cero forming in between Ichigo's horns and dodged it at the last minute, using this small amount of time to heal his arm. The rampaging Visored followed him in the air, his attacks being parried by Ulquiorra's Lanza del Relampago.

He finally realized why Aizen had been so adamant in going so far as to kidnap Inoue Orihime in order to lure Ichigo to Hueco Mundo. At first Ulquiorra thought this was to set things in motion, but now he had the distinct feeling that Aizen was buying precious time before Ichigo managed to foil his plans.

The Arrancar duly noted that his regeneration was not matching the speed Ichigo was cutting him. It was very possible that he could die a gruesome death at his hands. Him dying was the same as opening a Garganta and leading the shinigami towards Fake Karakura Town, maybe even showing him the way towards Aizen. He frowned; he couldn't let down his master after all they've gone through. He couldn't even think of becoming the trash he had distastefully spoken about so many times.

However, how could he stop the Visored, who was clearly overpowering him? Although his attacks were sloppy, Ichigo had enough power and speed to make up for it and much more. This was not a game he could win with only his skills and prowess.

He narrowly dodged the red Cero and flew upwards, hoping to put some distance between them for a short while. The Espada felt like such a coward, running away from his enemies and stalling the inevitable, just like Grimmjow did when he pushed a Caja de Negacion inside his hollow hole.

His eyes widened slightly. Although Ichigo wasn't an Arrancar, he was a Visored and thus one side of the same coin. Besides, to make matters even better, he was more of hollow than shinigami in this form. Ulquiorra wasn't sure it was going to work, but he needed to at least try.

Ulquiorra stopped flying away and instead turned, rushing to meet Ichigo. The hollow got bloodthirsty and prepared a strike meanwhile he materialized the Caja de Negacion and readied a Lanza del Relampago just in case he failed. Ichigo swung Tensa Zangetsu a little too early, but he feinted and instead used Sonido to appear behind Ichigo. He quickly pushed the small purple cube inside his hollow hole and watched the bright straight lines envelop the snarling Visored. Ulquiorra watched with satisfaction as Ichigo disappeared in a purple light to another dimension he himself had been trapped not too long ago. A dimension that would take too much precious time to escape from.

He headed to the ground and studied the grim and hopeless faces of Inoue Orihimi and the wounded Ishida Uryuu. "It seems that your protector is unable to save you now."

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**As I said before, this fic will probably be long. It also explores various what-ifs in the story, the most prominent being Aizen winning and managing to create his Ouken.**

**Be warned that this fic will contain dark themes, language, and violence (something most of you already are used to but still). I will change the rating once I get there. Yes, this is also an IchiRuki, however this fic won't revolve around romance since our heroes will be too preoccupied with other things.**

**Please review and stay tuned!**

**GAMF**


	2. The Escape

_Why. . ._

He stared to the gray sky, feeling the droplets of water slide down his cheeks. It was always strange how his inner world seemed to ignore all the properties of gravity, but rain always fell down the same way.

_Why do these things happen?_

"Oi, King, are you just going to stand there and wallow in your misery?"

Ichigo turned to regard his inner hollow. He had that perpetual grin on his face, mocking him. He should be happy; after all, for the first time, he won. His inner hollow won and he could just watch as Ulquiorra sent him to another dimension.

"Shouldn't you be trying to find a way to get us out of here? It's your job, after all."

The hollow scoffed. "Please, I do what I want. Turns out there is no one out there I would love to fight with more than you."

He bristled slightly. "It's your fault we're here!" he yelled, finally giving in to his frustration. "It's your fault Ishida and Inoue are. . . are. . ." He couldn't bring himself to say it. No, they weren't dead. Ulquiorra wouldn't kill them just yet. There had to be _something _and he refused to believe they were dead.

"It's not your hollow's responsibility to protect, Ichigo," Zangetsu's deep voice reminded him, appearing next to him. "You're the one who made the promise and you're the one supposed to keep it."

"Zangetsu. . ." Ichigo whispered, his eyes wide. The rain started decreasing in intensity until his inner world had its iconic blue skies with small clouds. His eyes narrowed and he turned to his hollow, drawing his sword. "Give me back my body."

His white counterpart grinned manically and started laughing in his insane manner. "Oh, so you want it back, hoh? You'll have to fight for it!"

In the blink of an eye he had drawn his sword and launched himself towards Ichigo. Zangetsu quietly disappeared until he was far away from the battle, making sure not to interfere. Ichigo, however, was prepared and met the attack head on, scowling at his hollow. He used Sonido to step back and used Zangetsu's cloth to swing the sword and launched it towards him.

Already having some idea of how his attack was going to work, he dodged it with some sloppiness, but managed to sneak in a Getsuga Tenshou that although didn't harm the hollow greatly, his right arm was burned slightly from the attack. He started cackling, enjoying the feel of pain, and once again launched himself towards Ichigo in a one-handed strike, meeting his sword halfway.

_Clang!_

It took all of his arm power to keep the sword steady and not buckle under his hollow's amazing strength. His demonic yellow eyes narrowed, unamused at meeting such strong resolve from his usual hesitant host. Sure, Ichigo was determined and had unwavering conviction when he dealt with enemies outside his inner world, but whenever he fought against him or Zangetsu he seemed to doubt himself more than usual.

He grinned; good, his King was getting stronger and more worthy of his power.

Ichigo widened his eyes when he saw his empty hand charging a bright red Cero towards him. He quickly used shunpo to get away from receiving the full brunt of the attack, but the mad grin his hollow gave him made Ichigo realize that this was a warning.

"You've given me more freedoms, King. Who knows what other things I can do now, right?"

He scowled at the hollow, feeling dread pool in his stomach at his words. So now he was stronger? That meant that he would need to get stronger. Ichigo positioned his sword in front of him and yelled, "Bankai!"

The explosion of reiatsu blew the hollow slightly away, but he decided to follow Ichigo's footsteps and also released his Bankai, revealing a white Tensa Zangetsu. When the reiatsu cleared, the hollow looked curiously around, becoming aware of a problem: where was Ichigo?

His eyes widened when he saw a black daito protruding from his stomach. He turned around and locked eyes with Ichigo's narrowed ones. "Heh, what's this? The King's playing dirty?"

The redhead's frown became more pronounced. "Last time I checked, my power comes from you and Zangetsu. If either of you becomes stronger, I do as well." He smirked, making the hollow's blood boil in anger. "I gotta admit that it's pretty nifty. Got something else up your sleeve?"

The white-haired man growled and slashed Ichigo, only for him to quickly remove his sword and shunpo to safety. He wiped the thin trail of blood coming from his mouth and started laughing. "This feels great! Finally, a battle!" He released a black Getsuga Tenshou and followed after the energy wave, hoping to catch Ichigo by surprise and make a quick work of him.

Ichigo relished in his new speed and dodged his zanpakuto's signature move. He was also ready for the hollow's upcoming onslaught, and although it was more powerful than what he had previously predicted, he managed to dodge and parry the continuous attacks.

"I like this new style in you, Ichigo! It was about damn time, as well!" he exclaimed in between blows, his attacks becoming more crazed and less predictable. "So the only thing you need to become stronger is killing your friends? I need to try that next time I take control!"

He growled and unconsciously fired a powerful Getsuga Tenshou, completely ignoring that his hollow was relentlessly attacking him. The energy blast connected with his opponent's form and blasted him away. Ichigo glanced at the slash his counterpart landed on his shoulder, the blood staining his black coat. Strangely, his body didn't feel too much pain at the rather deep wound. Shaking his head, he instead decided to focus on his hollow.

The Visored's eyes widened when he saw the hollow simply laying down and craning his head up to watch the blue sky. He gave Ichigo an uninterested gaze. "King, you've changed."

"Why aren't you fighting me?" he asked, suspicious. He knew his hollow was prone to mood swings and the like, but this was too out of character for him. In all the battles they've had, he had never gone down without a good fight.

The hollow sighed, making Ichigo's eyebrows quirk up in surprise. Since when did his hollow get all melodramatic? "I'm going to let you go because you can still get stronger, so much stronger. If you get strong, then I get strong, and that means I have more power to destroy. Heh, who knows, maybe I can become the king of not only your body, but Hueco Mundo!"

The Substitute Shinigami snorted. "Sure, if you haven't killed all the hollows by then."

He laughed but turned to look at the sky again. "Get outta here, you got things to do more important than teasing me."

Ichigo smiled and nodded. He closed his eyes and once he opened them again absolute darkness greeted him. Of course, he was trapped in that parallel dimension Ulquiorra had sent him. How in the world was he supposed to break out of this place and save his friends? Inoue and Ishida were still waiting for him on top of the dome of Las Noches. He couldn't fail them when he promised that he had to protect everyone.

The shinigami looked down and felt that at least his hole and other wounds had been healed. He guessed he had to thank his hollow's amazing healing ability for that one. Still, not even that could get him out of this one. This was an area he didn't have any expertise in.

_How can I break out of this place? This place is supposed to work only on hollows, which I no longer am. Does that mean I can't get out of this place?_

Panic gripped his heart. It couldn't be possible that he was stuck inside this place _forever_. He had to keep a promise he had made a long time ago. He had to protect his sisters from Aizen. His friends were fighting for their lives against that traitor that selfishly wanted to become something he shouldn't.

He donned on his hollow mask. He was about to fire a Gestuga Tenshou when he stopped, feeling something amiss. His mask felt . . . different. He couldn't see much, but there was something off about it. Ichigo couldn't describe it very well, but something had changed. He knew that he and his hollow had always been at odds about each other, but was it possible that his white-haired counterpart actually wanted to _help_ him? That didn't make sense, but then again, his words had been very clear: _" . . . If you get strong, then I get strong, and that means I have more power to destroy_._ . ."_

Ichigo's scowl softened and he shook his head. He readied his sword and fired what he felt the most powerful Getsuga Tenshou he had ever created. To feel such power coming from him made his heart swell in joy; if he could get out of this place, then that meant he had a chance against Aizen. As long as he didn't lose hope, everything would be fine.

However, nothing happened. He was still stuck inside this dark place and the Getsuga had done close to nothing. Ichigo frowned in frustration; this was the best he could do! It was irritating knowing that he didn't cut it, that his power wasn't enough. Angered, he fired Getsuga after Getsuga without stopping. What made him feel better was the knowledge that at least his reserves had increased exponentially yet again, since he barely felt winded after all the power he had used.

**_Although your battle with your inner hollow gave you more power, it would be unwise to waste it right now._**

Ichigo stopped firing energy blasts, opting to listen to Zangetsu instead. His zanpakuto spirit was mostly silent in his life, usually letting Ichigo do what he felt was right, but when he talked, his words were important and had wisdom in them.

"Then what should I do?" Ichigo muttered. He was alone here, no one would listen to his words. "My gut tells me that only the powerful get out of this place. I've never had any experience to talk about, so my gut is the one that has saved my ass all these times."

**_It is true that power will get you out of here, but only power that is controlled and usable. You're very strong, Ichigo, but your fast-paced life has forced you to follow the path of brutes that never know how to control themselves in order to win. Whether we like it or not, the Espada has brought your fights to a stop. You should use this time wisely because I have a feeling we're going to need all power we can get._**

"So you're saying I should train and put my vast reiryoku to use?"

**_Yes, it would be useful. Perhaps Getsuga Tenshou is the only attack I can give you, but you have been gifted with enough reiryoku to create some versatile techniques of your own._**

Ichigo had to admit that the prospect of learning new ways to use his power left him excited. In all his time as a shinigami, all his training and victories had come out of need, never out of leisure. Although this made his success much more likely in the end, the amount of time he had to become strong was always cut short. Sure, he mastered Bankai in only three days, but he barely had any time to practice with it. He gained his mask after training with the other Visoreds, but he never reached his full potential and instead got stronger after all his fights with the Arrancar in Hueco Mundo. There hadn't been a single time that his training had been a race against the clock.

"Old man, so you're telling me to make stuff up? I gotta admit, I'm very good with my imagination."

**_Getsuga Tenshou is an attack that uses your reiatsu in order to fire a blast of energy. I'm interested in the attacks you can create from it._**

The shinigami grinned and started thinking. This wasn't his usual style when it came to fighting, but he had to admit that the circumstances were different; he could no longer rely on chance and sheer determination to win as Ulquiorra's fight had taught him.

* * *

He was unsure how much time had passed. Although at first he had been worried and anxious that his friends were in danger, with time he realized that none of them would benefit from a useless and weak Ichigo. Besides, he was in a parallel universe; who knew how slow time moved in this place?

The list of techniques he had come up with was rather large, but he only focused on practicing and training on the select few he knew would come in handy. Perhaps he would have time once he finished with Aizen and the world was now at peace.

Ichigo fired a modified Getsuga Tenshou. This one was narrow but much faster. It also had another benefit: once it made contact, all the compressed reiatsu was immediately released, creating an explosion of energy. It was a great attack for single enemies. He still needed to find an adequate name, but he had never been good naming things.

He grinned when he heard something crack. His power managed to crack the fabric of space and time that was holding this parallel universe together. Encouraged, he released a flourish of his attacks, slowly making the crack bigger. Feeling that he was close, he donned on his hollow mask and released a black Getsuga Tenshou at full force. The crack became bigger until the complete darkness was replaced with blinding light.

When Ichigo opened his eyes, he was back again in the top of the dome where he had fought Ulquiorra. He gathered reishi at his feet and slowly made his way down. There was no sign of Inoue or Ishida, but he couldn't lose hope just yet.

He found a way to go back down to Las Noches and was surprised to find it destroyed and desolated. Whatever fighting had been going on was over, and by the general state of the place, it seemed as if the shinigami had won. Ichigo held in a sigh; they found a way to defeat Aizen without his help, then. As much as he hated it, he couldn't make his mind stop the thoughts of uselessness from invading his mind.

The shinigami continued walking and tracing back his steps. Las Noches was completely empty and every step he took reinforced his thought. His sensing skills had always been horrible, but he couldn't feel a single intelligent life form inside. Besides, he was positive that he had many battles ahead of him, since there was still Yammy and other Espada to take care of, but no had challenged him just yet.

"I-Ichigo?" a familiar voice squeaked.

Said teenager turned around to find the voice but only managed to get tackled in the chest by a green blur. "N-Nel?" he exclaimed, surprised.

The child Arrancar turned up to look at him and started crying and sniffing. "It's you! Nel felt Ichigo coming back but Nel had to make sure!"

"Coming back? What are you––"

A yell interrupted him. "Nel-sama! Don't go running. . . Kurosaki Ichigo?"

Ichigo frowned slightly. "Hey, Pesche. What's the ruckus about?"

"Impossible that after all this time you would finally show up," Pesche muttered loud enough for the shinigami to hear.

Curious, he asked, "What do you mean?"

Nel tapped his shoulder, getting his attention. "You have been gone for around six months, Ichigo!"

His eyes widened. "Six months! That's a lot of time! I'm sure I worried too many people during my absence." Both Arrancar were strangely quiet to his observation. The sense of dread continued getting stronger. "Guys, say something."

"Uh . . . how to say this? We don't know anything going on outside Las Ruinas, formerly known as Las Noches," Pesche slowly explained.

"Why's that?"

Nel released Ichigo's neck and dropped to the floor. She looked down and couldn't meet her friend's gaze. "Aizen . . ."

Ichigo hung on to whatever Nel was going to say, but the Arrancar didn't continue. "Aizen what?" he prompted.

"He won, Kurosaki Ichigo. He is now Spirit King."

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**A/N **

**I promise things will get more interesting as time goes by. I just want to slowly introduce what's going on to leave the minimum amount of plot holes.**

**Review, please?**


	3. The Audience

He wasn't sure where they were taking him, and he couldn't bring himself to care, either. Las Noches –– _no, Las Ruinas _–– loomed ahead of them. What once was a proud palace of a psychopath with a God-complex was now mostly destroyed. The barrier that ran through the perimeter had various holes in it. The dome had various holes in it, courtesy of a fight that had apparently taken place six months ago. Closer still, he saw that the Hollows that resided inside adapted to the wreckage; some used the fallen roofs as shelter and other useful furniture, such as tables and chairs.

Ichigo resisted the urge to purify all the Hollows he came in contact with. A pacifist Zangetsu further reinforced this thought, saying that lest they initiate conflict, Ichigo should stay out of everything. Besides, he didn't have the strength nor the skill to take on various Gillan-class Arrancar at once. As long as he was in the company of Dondochakka, Pesche, and Nel, nobody was going to attack him.

Now that the walls were either completely destroyed or sported various holes, the inside didn't seem as endless as before. That and his Hollow companions had increased the speed of their Sonido, making it the journey faster than the last time they invaded Hueco Mundo.

Ichigo stopped in his tracks when he saw a very familiar Espada. Zangetsu became even more vocal inside his head, urging him to regain control of his emotions. Nel patted his hair comfortably, doing more than Pesche and Dondochakka, who hid behind Ichigo.

"You are not welcome here, Kurosaki Ichigo," Ulquiorra uttered without an ounce of surprise. It seemed that he had always expected him to get out of the Caja de Negación, even if it had taken him months.

Dondochakka stuck out his head. "We're here to see Harribel-sama. She will know what to do with him."

His piercing green eyes narrowed. "Although it is true that we are no longer enemies, that doesn't mean that we are allies. I'll take our guest from now on; Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck can continue if she so wishes."

He turned around and started walking, his tattered coattails flowing behind him. Ichigo's scowl deepened but nevertheless he followed closely behind, just in case Ulquiorra decided to leave him behind with his Sonido. Nel was shivering slightly in his shoulders, no doubt affected by the almost tangible tension between the two enemies, forcing Ichigo to relax his shoulders, at least to make the toddler-like Arrancar more comfortable.

The Cuarta Espada came to a sudden stop in front of a set of long doors guarded by two muscular Arrancar. He turned his head sideways and gave Ichigo a calculating stare. "One wrong move and we shall dispose ourselves of you, Kurosaki Ichigo. Remember that you tread in a very fine line and I hope that your rash mouth does not land you in trouble."

He bit back a retort and merely nodded. Nel ruffled his hair and said, "I trust in ya, Ichigo. I won't letcha say anything too stupid!"

Ulquiorra nodded at the burly Arrancar and they opened the door with minimal effort. They stepped in to a wide and long room that overlooked the real darkness of Hueco Mundo. Before the window and up a couple of stairs was a simple chair in which a dark-skinned blonde Arrancar sat, looking as bored as she should be. Her green eyes lit in wonder when she saw the orange-haired missing Shinigami walk in confident that no one would attack him. She changed her posture, leaning in slightly to better receive her unexpected guest.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Kurosaki Ichigo?" she asked, her voice dancing with masterfully masked amusement.

Much to his surprise, he didn't know how to respond. He was so used to dealing with enemies that most of his meaningful conversations came from the clash of swords. Luckily, he had so many burning questions that he decided to simply go with that. "Answers. I'm extremely confused right now. Aizen is Spirit King now?"

She slowly shook her head. "Not really, not yet, at least. Luckily for you Shinigami the Ouken can only open the realm to the Spirit King during the Summer Solstice, which is in approximately two months. However, chances are Aizen is going to become the Spirit King anyway so we just say that."

"Then where's Aizen and why aren't you attacking me?"

"Our sources tell us that Aizen is acting as the soutaichou of the Gotei 13, using a combination of fear, hypnotizing abilities, and the disappearance of Yamamoto Genryuusai as means to keep his power. He drove out the old captains and lieutenants of Soul Society and replaced them with his own. Whether they are honestly loyal to him or they believe Aizen is Yamamoto we won't know unless we ask them.

"As to why we're not attacking you right now, Shinigami," Tier Harribel continued with a quieter, more menacing voice, "the answer is simple: Aizen betrayed us. We lost Starrk and Barragan in that little skirmish you call the Winter War. He then proceeded to slash me and stab me. We're not attacking you because we like you, Kurosaki Ichigo, but mostly because you're the only hope we have for any semblance of vengeance."

Ichigo stared at her, baffled. He hadn't thought much about the consequences of being locked away for six months but now everything suddenly hit him. Everything that could've gone wrong did; the only silver lining of the situation was that Aizen wasn't Spirit King yet, but even that seemed a given at the moment. What hope did he have against not only Aizen, but the entirety of the Gotei 13? It was like their rescue mission but worst, since they wouldn't hesitate to kill him outright.

"Did they survive?" he whispered, horrified.

Nel jumped away from him and walked until she was in front of the Vizard. She was looking strangely somber, which only made the deep sense of foreboding inside him to grow deeper. "Around two months ago Nel saw a Garganta form. Nel went to explore it and saw this pervert with a hat. He has been coming here every once in a while to exchange information."

Relief swept over him, almost choking him. "Geta-boshi is alive! Do you know if anyone else is?"

Harribel answered, "No, right now we're in a delicate position where Aizen is letting us be, since he has no use for us. That Urahara person is very good at hiding his presence in Hueco Mundo, but none of us are good at hiding our presence in the Living World. As much as I want to kill him, I'm not suicidal either."

"Then can I go? The faster I get there the more I'll get to train!" The excitement was killing him; he went from hopeless in his mission to believing that all of his friends were still alive and planning an attack.

"Unfortunately, your abysmal skills in controlling your reiatsu would instantly give away your location to Aizen," Ulquiorra replied in his impassive voice. "Even though we're not allied with the rebel Shinigami, I admit that our mission for vengeance primarily relies with them, and right now the rebels are in a place that completely hides their existence, safe from Aizen."

"Plus we have reasons to believe that as soon as Aizen becomes King he will dispose of Hueco Mundo," Harribel added as an afterthought. "So no, for everyone's sake, we won't be sending you to your Shinigami companions at the moment. You're safe from AIzen's sight here in Hueco Mundo."

Ichigo grit his teeth, failing miserably to reign in the outward signs of his frustration. "We only have two months before . . ." His face fell and his legs started wobbling. "Karakura Town––"

"_–– _Is no more," he finished. "You should've known this the moment you figured Aizen had successfully created the Ouken."

_Yuzu, Karin, Dad, Keigo, Mizuiro, Tatsuki. . . _

_Everyone._

_Gone?_

_I failed. Failed. _

_IfailedIfailedIfailedIfailed ._

"Crying won't bring anyone back, Kurosaki Ichigo," Ulquiorra mentioned, unmoved by the sight of the teenager's tears. This was the type of weakness that he detested in humans, the one that rendered them useless and, if it was possible, even lower trash. "Instead of pitying yourself, you should prepare for battle to avenge those whom you lost."

"Inoue and Ishida," Ichigo murmured almost inaudibly. He looked up to gaze at Ulquiorra, piercing him with his enraged eyes. "You killed them, didn't you?"

The Cuarta Espada only stared back, neither confirming nor denying his statement. Harribel, although entertained by the Vizard's spectrum of emotions, decided to interfere. "We let them go. If they were killed, they were not killed by our hands."

"Your Quincy friend could barely breathe and I was under orders to protect Inoue Orihime. If I wanted to kill the Quincy I would've had to kill the onna, going against my initial commands," he added as an explanation.

Relief was no longer as sweet as it had been before. Ichigo was now wary of any news the Arrancar gave him, catching unto their good-news-first-bad-news-second pattern.

"Nel, our guest is tired. Could you please show him around to his chambers? We'll continue this tomorrow."

The green-haired child bowed to her queen and skipped away, beckoning her friend to follow. Ichigo didn't complain about his abrupt dismissal; he didn't know if he could handle any more news and quite frankly he was physically spent as well.

**_We will be ready to deal with the things tomorrow throws at us better once you're well-rested. For now, focus on your health._**

_You ask the almost impossible, Zangetsu. I'll try, though._

Harribel and Ulquiorra both observed the two retreating figures in silence. Once the two left the room and the guards closed the door, Ulquiorra turned to look at Harribel with slightly suspicious looks. "I hate to admit it, but I agree with the Substitute Shinigami: it would've been wise to send him right now to the rebels."

She sighed and nodded. "I thought so too at first, but right now the rebels are most likely resentful with Kurosaki Ichigo. It's best that we test the waters before we throw him in there and expect him to swim."

He gave a noncommittal grunt. "Since when do you care about Kurosaki Ichigo's emotional health? You've turned soft, Tier Harribel."

"There is something more, of course. I think you felt it but are keeping quiet about it." After a couple of seconds of no response, she continued, "So I'm right. Something's different about him, or actually, his Hollow. Where exactly did you send him?"

"I sent him to a place he wasn't supposed to escape from," Ulquiorra admitted quietly. "The fact that he escaped . . ." he trailed off, leaving the suggesting up in the air. He had been extremely surprised when he felt the approaching reiatsu of a seemingly long-gone opponent, but then again, Ichigo's existed to mystify all the people that knew him.

"There is still hope, then."

* * *

**A/N **

**We should be going to the remainder of Gotei 13 and various explanations on what's going on. Expect chapters to get longer as well.**

**GAMF**


	4. Faith

_She stared as the captains fell one by one. There was no way they could beat him when everything they felt was an illusion. Were the captains even defeated, to begin with? If Aizen could control everything, what stopped him from making him see these horrifying images of failure?_

_Nothing._

_But everything at the same time._

_Although she had been trained to fight until the very end, every will she had to fight left her. What good could she do Soul Society if she was dead? No, her duty to her Division, to her clan, to her friends was to stay alive until hope, until Ichigo, returned. Once there was a chance to win she would fight until her last breath. But for now she had to find shelter, somewhere were she could remain safe._

_"Ah, and where do you think you're going, Kuchiki Rukia?" an amused voice said from behind her._

_Rukia came to an abrupt stop and immediately turned to see the mocking smirk of Aizen Sousuke. How in the world had he appeared there? He had been fighting Komamura-taichou just five seconds ago._

_Her violet eyes widened in realization, but it was already too late._

_"I really do hate leaving things unfinished. Allow me to conclude what I tried to months ago, Kuchiki Rukia."_

_He was too fast, or too slow, or not moving at all; Rukia could never tell. _

_She gasped and blood splattered._

_"Nii-sama!"_

Her breathing was harsh and heavy, not unlike how she had been _that _day. She didn't like to think about it, lest dream of it. Dream of the day where she lost almost everything she had, the little she claimed ownership. No, it wasn't exactly a dream, more like a memory. Her mind had a nasty knack for repeating her failures over and over again. All the embarrassment she brought the Kuchiki clan, Kaien's death, her execution sentence, her attempted escape. . .

They were all painful memories that wouldn't leave her alone regardless of how much she tried to amend them.

She yawned and stretched her arms, giving a pleased moan when she heard a bone crack. Her line of sight went to her sleeping bedmate, the one whom she had shared her room with for almost five months already. Her long orange hair sprayed haphazardly in her futon, the longer strands even reaching the wooden floor.

Gray eyes opened immediately when Orihime finally realized she was looking at her. Alert at first, her gaze calmed down once she concluded there was no danger and she gave Rukia one of her lazy smiles. "Good morning, Rukia-chan," she whispered in her childlike voice.

Rukia returned her smile with a little one of her own. "Good morning, Orihime. Sorry if I woke you up; I didn't mean to stare."

The girl immediately got up and started to desperately wave her hands in front of her, a gesture reminiscent of her old self. "Oh, no, no, don't worry, it's fine! I was just excited since today is Saturday and all! Are we leaving any time soon?"

The shinigami nodded. "In around an hour or so, or whenever Urahara decides to get off his lazy ass and open the Garganta."

She giggled at her flat accusation. "Poor Urahara-san! Everyone insults him!"

"Well, he deserves it," she grumbled, crossing her arms. Last time he had been careless and closed the Garganta an hour before he was supposed to. Orihime and her had been forced to spend a night in the Forest of Menos. Luckily for them they were acquainted with Kano Ashido, who helped them survive the night without any problems.

Orihime giggled again and stood up with a jump. "Well, I'll just go change and brush my teeth and I'm going to tell Urahara-san to be more careful because if he doesn't he'll feel my Super-Combo-Tickle-and-Pain attack!" she exclaimed, pumping her fist upwards. Rukia grinned at her excitement and cheered along with her. Before she could say anything, the redhead stood up and rushed to the bathroom, forgoing her clothes.

Rukia's grin disappeared from her face and was replaced with a frown. Orihime had taken her best friend's death hard. For one that wore her emotions on her sleeves, Orihime had been an unreadable rock those first few weeks. She hid underneath empty smiles and shallow laughs, trying but failing miserably to convince everyone that she was fine and there was no reason to worry about her. Rukia had understood her position, Orihime must have thought that there were more important things going on than her grief, but unless she had opened up and healed, Rukia would've never been able to regain her strength.

Sometimes she needed to see others succeeding before she put herself up for failure.

She went to her drawers and got out a black shirt and a pair of denim jeans. The thing she loved the most about her gigai was that she wasn't obligated to use her shihakusho. Sure, she wore it with pride, but after wearing it for so many years she had grown slightly bored of it. She had grown so accustomed to it that she still had problems wearing any shirt color other than black!

Rukia closed the door behind her and went to the mess hall. The underground facility Urahara had built many years ago was large enough to house around one hundred people. Not that they needed so much space, since most of their shinigami were in Soul Society. At least the captains and lieutenants were here.

Well, most of them were.

It was hard to hide them all from Aizen. Even though he won, he still hunted the shinigami that resided outside of Soul Society. _Rebels_, he called them, _a contamination of their traditions_. Intelligence from Yoruichi's many infiltrations informed them that he offered promotions to those who killed them. They ran away in this place with a total of seventy-two people, and that amount had dwindled more to forty-nine.

Even more disturbing was the fact that he had picked ten of his strongest men, hollowfied them, and converted them into perfect Vizards. The power of the Hogyoku amplified their abilities and talents to such levels that even the original Vizards admitted they would have trouble with them, especially with Aizen around to make them stronger.

Urahara guessed that he didn't do all of this for the purpose of exterminating them, but more for making sure that they were a challenge for the Royal Guard. Aizen knew that the Soul King wouldn't take it too kindly that he just invaded his realm and was going to send the heavy artillery against them.

"Kuchiki-san, would you sausage or eggs with your toast?"

Rukia snapped out of her thoughts and stared wide-eyed at Ishida. Either he was getting better at being unnoticed or she was too distracted to notice anything, most likely the latter. Cooking for forty-nine people wasn't easy, especially when most of the captains and lieutenants refused to do such "low-level" job, so it was mostly up to the unranked shinigami to cook for everyone. Of course, people like Ukitake and Ise enjoyed preparing dinner every once in a while, though it was the general consensus that someone else better take over.

"Eggs, please." Ishida scooped a mouthful of eggs and placed it on her plate. "Thanks, Ishida."

He pushed his glasses further up his nose. "No problem, Kuchiki-san. You're going out today, are you not?" At her nod, he continued, "Good luck, then."

She smiled at him and hummed her thanks. It had taken him and his dad months to get used to living with shinigami. They hated Aizen for destroying Karakura more than they hated them, but that still didn't mean they had to be friendly to the shinigami. Rukia and Renji were two of the few shinigami he talked to without a frown or a sneer, so she took that as a compliment.

Rukia got her juice further down the long table, bypassing other shinigami that were getting their breakfast from the other cooks. She added a fork and knife to her plate and left to find a table to sit in, which was hard considering all the shinigami got up and ate around the same time.

"Sensei, over here," a soft voice beckoned her. She really was distracted today to not notice the relatively empty table her pupil had taken. She was only sitting with another woman she recognized as Shirogane Mihane, one of her Nii-sama's subordinates, or ex-subordinates now that he was no longer captain.

She thanked her and sat down, intent on eating her meal without chatting. When she talked she got sidetracked, and right now she couldn't afford distractions. Not when Ichigo was on the line, at least.

"You're awfully quiet, Sensei. Is something wrong?" Kaigan Arutemisu asked her in her trademark faint voice.

She swallowed a piece of her toast before saying, "I'm going out today to Hueco Mundo."

"Ah, yes, the weekly rounds," Shirogane murmured. "Think you're going to have any luck?"

Rukia gave a noncommittal shrug. "I don't know, probably not, but we'll never find out unless we go."

"It would benefit Inoue-san to go out, yes. I'm afraid there isn't much to do out in the city and she really dislikes her new school. Going to Hueco Mundo will take her mind off of things."

Shirogane added, "Plus, that Espada has a soft spot for her, so it's more likely that he's going to tell you something if you go to Las Ruinas."

Rukia shook her head. "I'm not planning on going to Las Ruinas today. It's too far away and I don't want to stay too long in Hueco Mundo."

"Say, if Kurosaki-san _is _found, how will that tip the war to our sides?"

"Well, first we're going to have someone that can actually fight Aizen head-on, so that's always a plus. His appearance is going to boost morale around here. I mean, look at the Eleventh Division table." Shirogane pointed a thumb sideways at the pitiful-looking remnants of the Eleventh Division. Ikkaku looked like he wanted to die and Kusajishi actually looked sober and was that a stray hair in Yumichika's face? Not to even mention Zaraki-taichou seemed constipated. "No one wants to fight them and it's discouraged, since we can't afford to get wounded or die right now. Ichigo could serve as the perfect diversion. Besides, even if some might not admit it, we all know that even the captains would be happy to have him back."

Rukia blinked owlishly at her. "Uh, yeah, you have most of the reasons down. Though I have my doubts about Nii-sama; he seems to enjoy this place more than he enjoyed his mansion."

"I have my doubts about that," Kaigan muttered darkly. "He treats us like his personal servants and always looks snobbishly at us whenever we don't do something like his old servants used to do them."

"Nii-sama has had a sheltered life, we can't blame him for that."

"Doesn't mean we must like it. Sometimes I wish I had asked to join Ukitake-taichou. Which brings me to my next question: are the rumors true?"

"What rumors?"

Kaigan waved a hand nonchalantly. "Oh, you know, the talk that you'll be the Thirteenth Division's next lieutenant." She was certainly surprised at seeing Rukia's shocked and disbelieving expression. "Wait, does that mean you don't know about it yet?" Rukia shook her head slowly. "Hm, that makes two sheltered Kuchikis."

Apparently the discussion was done, because the two women had started talking about how much they hated their jobs, and how much they wished being back in Soul Society slaying hollows or doing division-related business. Rukia, however, was still too shocked to say anything. She was an unseated officer, for starters. When did this talk of promoting her a lieutenant start?

"Wait, wait, wait, are you guys being serious?"

"Of course, I would think you would side with me on this one, Sensei. Don't you hate high school?"

"No, the part where I'm being promoted to lieutenant."

Shirogane eyed her suspiciously. "Are you alright, Kuchiki-san? We finished that conversation almost five minutes ago."

"I was . . . caught by surprise, that's all. But I'm really interested to hear this."

Kaigan and Shirogane shared a look. "I think it's better if Kuchiki-taichou told you this. I have a feeling he has been keeping this from you for some reason."

"Maybe you should ask him about this when you come back," Kaigan offered.

Rukia was silent for a moment before she gave a weak nod. There were more important things to do and right now a lieutenant rank meant nothing if there was no division to lead.

She just hoped neither Kiyone nor Sentarou had caught wind of this new development.

The small woman stood up and sighed. "I have to go to work. I really do miss my dad; he never cared whether I was late or not." And with that she left, her destination the little flower shop she was in manager of, no doubt.

"You're not leaving, Kaigan?" Rukia asked, honestly curious and hoping for a conversation with her former pupil.

She shook her head. "I take my days off today, and even though I could cover for someone else's lesson I want to practice with my zanpakutou. He has been unusually restless these past few days."

"Why do you continue training? Don't you believe it's hopeless?" Rukia asked, barely able to keep her own distress and anxiousness from her tone.

Kaigan eyed her warily. "What would _you _do then? Stand around and do nothing?" At Rukia's lack of reply, she continued, "I believe that Kurosaki-san is far too stubborn to just give up. Too stubborn and stupid, since he got himself in this mess, though I shouldn't blame our problems on a human teenager. Don't _you _trust him, Kuchiki-sensei?"

She bristled slightly at her inquiry. "Of course I do! Why do you think I look for him all the time?" she replied hotly.

She looked unperturbed by her explosion. "For a second I doubted that, though it had more to do with the question we all have in the back of our minds: _is Kurosaki Ichigo too late?_ I certainly hope not; I've been wasting too much time of my life to just lay it to waste."

"So you'd rather think that we have a chance?"

"There's really no evidence supporting whether Kurosaki will be useless or not, which gives me the rare ability to choose. I chose long ago to believe in him. I think you should too, since you've been the catalyst behind many amazing feats he has done."

She finished the last of her eggs and gulped down her orange juice. "Thanks for the pep talk, Kaigan. I don't know what came over me."

The teenage-looking shinigami waved a hand at her. "Well, we all experienced despair when he had to retreat from Fake Karakura Town and watched as each individual lost their soul. You're just experiencing it rather late than others, considering your unwavering faith for that substitute shinigami." Kaigan stood up and turned to leave but hastily added before departing, "Oh, that reminds me. Renji told me that he's going regardless of what you say."

"Nii-sama is letting him go?"

"No, I'm covering his share of the paperwork. Let's just hope Kuchiki-taichou hasn't noticed that I can perfectly forge Renji's signature."

She was curious as to what Renji had exchanged to get Kaigan to do his paperwork. Kaigan Arutemisu hated to work unless she was obligated to, so either she took pity on her redhead best friend, which was unlikely, or Renji took over her cooking duties, which was more likely but would only end up in a disaster.

Her voice snapped Rukia from her thoughts. "Good luck, sensei; I wish you a safe return." After her nod of thanks, Kaigan left the mess hall, going to the training room if what she said was true.

Seeing no need to stay there, Rukia got up and made her way to what she dubbed the Garganta Room. It was further underground, hidden from Aizen's almost-godly senses. Kurotsuchi had grudgingly agreed to work with Urahara in creating a system that hid their reiatsu perfectly for the small price of a special limiter. This wasn't a problem when wearing a gigai, which they did most of the time, but when they needed to train or go to Hueco Mundo this presented a problem. At any rate, the limiter could only be activated in the Garganta or Training Rooms and each of them had a different purpose.

Renji and Orihime were already there, getting their limiters on to their souls. She consumed her gikongan, prepared for the discomfort the limiters brought on her body. Having restrictions on your power wasn't pleasant, but it was a small price to pay in exchange for having a small part of their shinigami life back.

"Took you a while, Rukia. What were you doing? Gossiping?"

"Yeah, on how you forced Kaigan Arutemisu to do your paperwork. Tsk, tsk, I didn't think you would fall so low, Renji."

"WHAT? She told you that? It's not true, I _swear_. I just took over kitchen duty for her. Don't let her lie to you, you know how mean she is to me."

Rukia scrunched up her nose. She already knew she wasn't going to be hungry on Tuesday. "No, she didn't tell me that. I just enjoy how panicked you get whenever I catch you doing something Nii-sama wouldn't approve of."

He grunted. "As if you do things he likes all the time."

She was about to retort when the Garganta machine whirred to life. Rukia turned to see that Orihime had finally learned how to turn it on, which was great considering how Urahara was late, _again_. The thin line opened to a gaping hole, one that led them to another dimension.

Once Orihime was in line with them, they nodded to each other and jumped inside, the hole closing behind them.

* * *

Ichigo was extremely bored. Harribel had insisted that he didn't do anything too flashy that might garner Aizen's attention or their scorn, so hunting hollows and training with Zangetsu were out of the question. He could always perform jinzen, but that meant he would also confront his inner hollow and right now he wasn't prepared for that, if he ever would be.

**_You underestimate your hollow's desire to become stronger. Your goals coincide right now so if I were you I would take advantage of this._**

_Not right now, Old Man. I just need some time . . . _

**_Time is short, Ichigo. You have two months to become a threat to Aizen and moping like this won't change anything._**

_I'm NOT moping. I'm just mourning the loss of my town, my friends, my life. Am I not allowed to do that?_

**_There is a time and place for everything. I'm sure that the survivors would appreciate it if you mourned your losses once you took care of the threat._**

He sighed, not wanting to admit how true his zanpakuto's words were. Right now he was useless, but unlike others he had the potential to bring down Aizen. Even though he was invulnerable to Kyoka Suigetsu's hypnotic powers, he still had the whole I'm-almost-a-god part to worry about. Plus, from what he had heard from other Harribel, he had a new roster of captains and lieutenants that were fiercely loyal to him, obedience reminiscent only to Ulquiorra's.

Nel at the time was off exploring the lands like she always did with her former Fracción. He enjoyed and was comforted by her company, but right now he needed extreme concentration and having the child Arrancar around would certainly _not _do that.

He placed his sword in a vertical line resting on his two knees and concentrated hard on getting to his inner world. Now after getting so much experience he wasn't surprised to see the familiar skyscrapers and the raining environment.

"Oi, King, why don't you make this rain stop? Sure, it's nice and all the first couple of minutes but after getting drenched for hours straights this doesn't end up looking pretty."

He also wasn't surprised to see his hollow come out of nowhere. "I can't control how I feel; I can only control how I act."

"You're doing a shitty job so far, if you ask me."

His scowl deepened. "No, I didn't ask you. I don't expect you to understand. Someone who only prides himself in destroying wouldn't know the pain of losing."

"Oh, how poetic. I'm sure you tell yourself that before you go to sleep just so that you can feel better. Listen, I'm not here because of that. I'm here to strike you a deal."

"Don't blame me if I don't like the sound of that."

"Heh, wouldn't expect any less from you. Anyway, after hearing all this doom talk I became excited. This Aizen wannabe became strong enough to pose a threat to the Soul King, so even I might think twice before attacking him. So, I thought we should cooperate with this."

"And how are we going to _cooperate_?"

"I lend you my power at the small price of allowing you to hear my voice just like Zangetsu does."

"There's more; spit it out."

He grumbled under his breath, something about him being too distrusting for his own good. "Well, I of course become stronger and bolder as time goes on, so expect a challenge from me once we're done with this mess."

He sneered. "How's that any different from what you normally make me go through?"

The hollow shrugged. "You asked, I answered." A wide, maniacal grin appeared on his face. "So, what do you say? You know how much power I have, King. You only got a taste of it against the battle against the Espada. All of that for the small initial price of hearing my thoughts whenever I want to be heard, and to be honest I don't think my voice is that annoyin'."

Ichigo refrained from rebuking that statement, because yes, his voice _was _not only vexing but also psychopathic. "What does Zangetsu have to say about this?"

"He asked you to come here and left us alone, didn't he? That's the closest you're ever going to get of a blessing from that guy. So, King, wanna live up to your name or not?"

"I'm going to regret this down the road."

* * *

**Yup, I took your advice, Hekka, and I thank you because you gave me the perfect cover to bring the focus to the shinigami and reveal a little bit of what's going on.**

**Now that the Royal Guard made its appearance, I need to rethink how I'm going to write out this story. They probably won't appear until I get a better insight of their personalities, because so far they've been acting like lovable clowns.**

**As for the OC, I couldn't just have the captains, lieutenants, and some of the known seated officers survive because that would just make it overkill from Aizen's side, which has the entire Soul Society to back him up. They won't play a major role in the story but will serve to add a certain degree of realism to the story.**


	5. Search

Ulquiorra wandered the hallways of Las Ruinas, trying, and failing, to find a place where he could listen to his own thoughts. After Aizen's betrayal, a considerable number of Arrancar had sought refuge in their fallen walls. Reconstruction was progressing, albeit slowly, even though Harribel kept a strict policy of no fighting amongst each other. As the queen of Las Ruinas, she knew that their survival was directly linked to the strength and cooperation of her subjects, a hard task considering almost all hollows were bloodthirsty creatures with almost no sense of camaraderie.

"What a surprise, Ulquiorra. I never thought I would see you walking around as if you had nothing to do."

The former Cuarta Espada would have rolled his eyes if he had the ability of feeling frustration like any other thinking being. Not only had any prospect of spotting a quiet place gone out the window, but the owner of the voice promised no good. "You are back early, Grimmjow. I am impressed you scouted the whole perimeter in less than three days." He turned to look at the former Sexta Espada, not because there was any semblance of respect, but because he wanted to be ready if he launched a surprise attack.

The blue-haired Arrancar unfolded his arms from his chest and stalked towards Ulquiorra, a menacing grin on his face. "I decided to cut the mission short––"

"Harribel will not be pleased."

Grimmjow gave an exasperated grunt. "Will ya let me finish?" Surprisingly, the Arrancar did just that and with a predatory stare he continued, "You honestly didn't believe you could hide him from me, did you? Where is he?"

He found himself in a ––dare he say it–– uncomfortable situation. Ulquiorra refused to even allow the idea of protecting Ichigo from Grimmjow because, quite frankly, he disliked the shinigami substitute as much as his self-proclaimed rival. On the other hand, Ulquiorra would most definitely _not _hand Ichigo to Grimmjow on a silver platter; they were supposed to be rebuilding Las Ruinas, not creating more destruction. Besides, Harribel would be most displeased with him if she found out he allowed that to happen.

"Unfortunately I cannot allow that," he stated simply, opting not to elaborate on his reasons.

"Why not?" he challenged. "Want to keep him all for yourself? C'mon, I want a rematch with him as much as the next guy."

"May I remind you that we are supposed to be _cooperating_, not _fighting_?"

"_Amongst each other_, yeah. Ichigo is not one of us, though," he pointed out in a smug tone, as if he was happy he had found a loophole.

"Kurosaki Ichigo is under Harribel's protection at the moment. The substitute shinigami cannot die."

"Aw, c'mon, I wouldn't kill him . . . just hurt him a little."

Ulquiorra stared at Grimmjow with an empty expression for a couple of seconds before turning around and continuing walking, ending the conversation immediately. He ignored Grimmjow's shouts and taunts, silently relishing in the distress his ignorance must be causing his rival.

Grimmjow was Harribel's problem, not his.

* * *

Renji felt like whining about a million things, like how slow they were going, or how lame this place was, even on how there seemed to be sand inside his crotch for some reason. But he didn't, mostly because Rukia had a look on her face that made it clear she wouldn't be taking bullshit from anyone, especially him.

Not only that, but she seemed strangely determined. Orihime as well. How could they not? The air _screamed _Ichigo. It was obvious that he was back, or had gotten stronger in whatever place he was trapped, because his reiatsu was more prominent than before. It also felt darker, more corrupted, and this caused the aforementioned air of apprehension and stress the group was currently feeling.

He didn't know what he was going to do if he encountered the Hollow Ichigo Orihime spoke so fearfully of. Just thinking of his ruthlessness and complete lack of the strawberry's trademark honor made Renji shiver slightly.

Rukia started speeding up, most likely unconsciously. From his spot in the rear, he noticed that Orihime was slowly falling behind, her shunpo still not fast enough to match their speed. Renji could see she was tiring but he admired her for her resilience and will to continue.

"Oi, Rukia, slow down! Not all of us can keep up with this, y'know!"

She immediately came to a stop and looked back to her two companions, extremely confused. Orihime gave a grateful sigh and flopped on the floor, panting furiously and giving breathless giggles. Rukia seemed contrite when she crouched next to their auburn friend. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Heh . . . of course . . . Rukia-chan. Why wouldn't I be?"

She frowned slightly. "You should speak up next time, Orihime. There is no shame in admitting that you can't do something."

"You would've collapsed if I hadn't stopped her," Renji added. "Speaking of which, going quicker won't really change anything Rukia. We have no idea where Ichigo is. We could spend _months _trying to find the source of his reiatsu."

"Or we could spend years. I know that we have little to work on, Renji, but Ichigo is out there, _alone_, probably confused. That's just asking for trouble. We can't have him causing trouble, especially with the Arrancar; we barely have an alliance and it's only because Urahara buys them with supplies."

"Ichigo may be a moron, but he's not stupid. I'm sure he has some survival senses and I take it back because I just realized he doesn't," Renji admitted sheepishly. "And he is a stupid moron too."

Rukia nodded in assent with a small smile. "That's why the quicker we find him the better."

"I think we should trust Kurosaki-kun a bit more," said Orihime from her place in the sand. She gazed at the two shinigami with a rueful expression. "I know he has been very mature all his life. I don't think he would willingly get in trouble."

Renji and Rukia looked at each other with a doubtful expression but otherwise trusted their friend's words; she had known him longer than they had and although they had fought and grown together, there were certain things you couldn't find about a person from clashing swords.

Orihime was up and sunny after a couple of minutes and insisted to continue travelling. Even though she trusted in Ichigo's ability to behave, she was still anxious to see him after so many months of uncertainty and unfounded hope. To not know be able to pinpoint the source of Ichigo's reiatsu served to frustrate her further. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, so many things she wanted to apologize for. The guilt that had been steadily growing ever since Ichigo had been imprisoned by Ulquiorra had not stopped yet.

_"He is gone, onna. I suggest you heal your friend because I predict it will be a long time before you are in the vicinity of humans."_

She had never been as scared or surprised before in her life as she had been at that moment that Ulquiorra had callously spoken those words. She had felt a strong sense of resignation, and she had seen it in Uryuu's eyes as well. They knew that if they weren't killed, they would be held prisoners for the rest of their lives. When a wounded Harribel had been brought to Las Noches, deliriously retelling of Aizen's betrayal, she was strangely relieved that they were on the same side now.

And then Karakura had been destroyed.

News channels played it off as the strangest epidemic of all time. Doctors, researchers, and reporters had all come from around the world to study and follow the mysterious deaths of around one hundred thousand people. They had just fallen to the ground like ragdolls, their eyes empty and their mouths open. At that time, Orihime and Uryuu were _safely _hidden inside the dome of Las Noches. Spiritually-aware souls like the Kurosaki family and Uryuu's father had been lucky to escape, but others not so much.

She didn't know if missing Tatsuki's lifeless face was a small mercy or not.

Orihime willed herself not to cry. She had done too much of that already and neither Renji nor Rukia needed a crybaby at the moment. They needed a strong person that could help them find Ichigo.

Ichigo.

Her feelings for him had dimmed and darkened over the course of the last couple of months. The only details she could remember were his shocking orange hair and his carved scowl. The rest, including her feelings, had faded, the sands of time covering every emotion and picture his name evoked in her. Rukia, on the other hand, had held on to every memory in a stronghold. She probably thought no one would notice, but most were aware that Rukia secretly liked bringing up the topic of Aizen and a rebellion just so that talk of Ichigo's return would start. Orihime was not exactly jealous of Rukia's ability to be so determined, but she must admit that she wanted it.

"Should we really go to Las Ruinas?" Renji asked, his breath slightly winded.

Rukia slightly turned her head to confirm she heard him. "Where else can we go?"

"I was just thinking the Arrancar don't really like us. They won't be so welcoming anymore."

"We don't like them either, but we need each other to survive. Besides, at least we're sure Ulquiorra will let us pass."

It went unstated, but both Renji and Rukia were aware of the soft spot Ulquiorra had for their redhead friend. To anybody that didn't know Ulquiorra, she might think that he was as apathetic and disgusted of the human woman as any other being, soul or not. However, there were little hints of curiosity and intrigue that the woman awoke in his eyes. Urahara used that to his advantage whenever he wanted to make sure the former Cuarta Espada approved of certain new policy to their alliance; although Harribel was the Queen, the pale Arrancar was a very trusted advisor, and Urahara knew how to use this to his advantage.

A giant surge of familiar reiatsu snapped everyone from their wayward thoughts. The source came from Las Ruinas, the very place they were heading. With a shared look, the three travelers sped up, leaving afterimages in their wake.

* * *

The blond scientist was running tests in the underground facility when he felt two presences in his general vicinity. One was cold and annoyed meanwhile the other well, annoyed and furious. Hiding his amused smile with his fan, Urahara turned around to greet his two guests.

"Ah, Kuchiki-taichou, Kurotsuchi-taichou, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

The noble looked like he was about to say something when the Twelfth Division captain cut him off. "What do you think you're doing, converting my laboratory into some kind of . . . of _fashion show for gigais!_"

His grin widened, not that anyone would notice. "Fashion is very important in this time and age, Kurotsuchi-taichou If you want to blend in with the Living World––"

"I don't _want _to! This is useless and a waste of valuable space!"

"What do you propose we do with it instead?"

The scientist spluttered. "I don't need to explain myself to the likes of _you_. Just respect my space and give me my laboratory back. There are many important things I must do." With a grunt, Kurotsuchi turned around and stalked outside the room, his heavy footsteps making a few pebbles jump in the air.

All this time, Kuchiki Byakuya was patiently waiting for his time to speak, although he didn't look pleased about it at all. Fights between the two scientists were always the most annoying to behold. One of them was extremely territorial, not used to sharing his space with others, meanwhile the other relished in annoying other people, especially the aforementioned scientist. Having the two of them living under the same roof was a horrible idea.

"Is there something you wished to speak about, Kuchiki-taichou?"

"Why did you let Rukia go to Hueco Mundo?"

"I don't understand," he replied, strangely honest, putting his fan down.

"Who gave you permission to let Rukia go to Hueco Mundo."

"I wasn't aware she _needed _permission. She has gone so many times that it's no longer dangerous for her."

A strange glint was present in his gray eyes. "I demand that I go after her."

Urahara's grin exploded and he covered the lower half of his face with his fan once again. "Oh, you're sly, Kuchiki-taichou, very sly––"

"I'm _not_ s––"

"But I'm afraid I can't let you go, just like the past times you've asked. You of all people should know how important it is to follow rules. The deal with Harribel was to not let any captains or captain-level shinigami to step a foot in their domain. We don't need another war to fight, no?"

"There is no need for me to go to Las Ruinas. According to my calculations, my shunpo can catch up with them before they even approach Las Ruinas. Besides, I would never do something as unintelligent as accidentally declaring war on our allies."

Urahara just stared at Kuchiki, wondering how much time had to pass before he grew unnerved (which now that he thought about it, it might take a while). Kuchiki Byakuya, even though he was one of the resident ice princes of the Resistance, cared so deeply about his adoptive sister that he wondered why he didn't just admit it. He was the reason she had survived the Winter War, after all. Meanwhile they were fleeing, Aizen had chosen Rukia as the one shinigami he would make sure to exterminate. A possible reason for this, as far as Urahara knew, was that Ichigo cared much for Rukia and would become completely demoralized, or revenge-driven, should he return. Either way, Aizen would have been able to manipulate Ichigo's grief to his advantage, so even if the substitute shinigami came back from his prison, Aizen was still guaranteed to win.

"I am afraid I can't let you pass through, Kuchiki-taichou. If I did, how would I explain to my dear Mayuri that I don't favor you over him, hm? I really don't want to make anyone in here jealous," he finished in a blank tone, but the undertones of mocking were yelling at the Sixth Division captain.

Byakuya's eyes hardened, the only display of emotion on his face. Not willing to put his pride on the line, he turned and started walking away without a word. If he could, he would've forced the scientist to open the Garganta, using either his social standing, wealth, or squad position as extremely convincing reasons to do his bidding. However, in the Living World, not only did those things not matter, but currently the Resistance was graciously being housed by Urahara, and Byakuya would notbe _that guest _that was a general pain to be around.

He just hoped nothing would happen to Rukia this time, because he wasn't sure he'll be able to make it in time.

* * *

**A/N**

**Don't worry, the story will start picking up soon. Mostly these past few chapters are spent introducing the setting and the conflict. If any of you have read my stories, you probably already know about pace I choose for all of them. I don't drag the story out, but I don't rush it either. It's more enjoyable for both sides this way.**

**Regarding the Zero Squad and the Spirit King: I honestly don't know what Tite Kubo has planned in the manga. I personally prefer to stick certain elements close to canon to add more realism to the fanfic. However, I don't want to wait for I don't know how long until Kubo finally decides to explain just _how _Aizen planned to take over the King's Realm and defeat the Zero Squad. **

**Since this is an AU, I've decided that a few more tweaks to the plot and characters' motives won't hurt the overall flow. If it's not that far off, great, but if it is and Aizen is revealed to be the long-lost heir planning to overthrow the Spirit King so that he can take over, then oh, well, you were warned. **

**Also, even though it's still, the personalities of the Zero Squad will be based on all we've seen.**

**Comments, criticisms, or concerns are widely appreciated!**


	6. Unfortunate

Ichigo frowned at Grimmjow, unable to keep his glare controlled. The former Sexta Espada had no sense of shame in asking him to battle after coming back from a tiring ordeal. There was a reason why he had come to the most secluded place in Las Ruinas, after all. At least Grimmjow had warned him before throwing himself at him, already swinging his blade. He had easily parried the blow, though the impact had been so strong that both he and the blue-haired Arrancar had crashed against the wall, effectively destroying it. Harribel wouldn't be happy about that, but Grimmjow didn't seem to care.

"Huh, you got worse or something? Damn that Ulquiorra, always ruining my fun." He continued barraging him with pent up taunts and attacks he couldn't so easily release in the confining atmosphere of Harribel's reign.

"I don't want to fight," Ichigo calmly replied. "You shouldn't, either."

"Che, I do what I want; no shark princess is going to tell me whether or not I can fight."

Ichigo used shunpo to get far enough to fire a compressed Getsuga Tenshou. Grimmjow momentarily smirked, thinking that he could easily block it, but was surprised when the attack exploded on his face and sent him flying to another wall. Ichigo winced; unlike the suicidal Arrancar he was battling with, _he _was scared of his host's wrath.

"So you do have some things up your sleeve." Grimmjow was continuing his assault once the smoke had cleared, undeterred and instead excited by the new move Ichigo had showed him. Maybe if he pushed enough he was going to be able to see more.

He continued defending but did not attack unless it meant pushing would give him room to breathe. If he had learned anything about hollows in his life it was that if you gave in to their demands they would keep pushing until they squeezed everything they could out of you. Ichigo had to admit that Grimmjow was getting on his nerves, but he was no pushover.

"C'mon, Ichigo! You can't just show me that and leave me hanging!"

"There's not that much to show."

"Heh, do you honestly believe you stand a chance against Aizen and his new puppets that way?" Ichigo grunted and clenched his teeth, but Grimmjow didn't care and continued, "You're weak and pathetic, always have been and always will be. You should thank Ulquiorra next time; he saved your sorry ass from Aizen."

He _knew _Grimmjow was just taunting him like he was wont to, but there was some part deep inside of him that was secretly happy he didn't have to face Aizen. It was shameful and he hated himself for it, but he knew he stood no chance against the man that had fooled Soul Society for more than one hundred years and had power over reality itself.

He met Grimmjow's sword with a resolute clash and kept it there, neither retiring to attack again but instead pushing his own sword with more power to overwhelm the other.

"Worse, you've been strangely silent about Harribel keeping you here. Admit it, Ichigo! You're just a scared boy used to escaping and now that both Ulquiorra and Harribel gave you a place to run away to you're a happy little sunflower."

Ichigo grit his teeth and continued pushing his sword with power he didn't know he had, effectively breaking the deadlock and slashing Grimmjow across the chest, albeit shallowly. He retreated, surprised by his sudden strength, even though Ichigo was barely in _shikai_.

"I'm not running away," he firmly retorted, but he knew he was lying. "I'm here because Harribel asked me to remain here. If I didn't have to I would be back with my friends by now."

The Arrancar was about to launch himself at Ichigo again when another Arrancar came in, interrupting them with a meek voice. Both fighters turned to look at the newcomer, one with barely restrained relief and the other with very obvious irritation.

"_What_?"

"H-H-Harribel-sama requests that K-Kurosaki-sama presents himself in the audience room right n-n-now."

"Tell the shark princess we're busy."

"I-I-It's imp-portant."

Grimmjow was about to make a snide remark ––if his face was anything to go by–– but Ichigo said, "Okay, I'll be there." The little stout Arrancar wasted no time in leaving their presence. Yet again, Ichigo interrupted whatever Grimmjow was about to say. "Look, Grimmjow, I know we have our issues but right now I have to do this."

"I'm expecting a fight."

"You'll get your fight, but right now I have to go do this."

Ichigo left, leaving Grimmjow with much to say but no one to listen. He knew he had stepped out of line in certain comments he had made, but someone needed to snap him out of that useless mood he was in. Even so, perhaps there was some truth in his statements and Ichigo deserved nothing but the truth after all he had done for him, both good and bad.

"I better have it, you bastard."

* * *

"You are quite quick, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Harribel was not sitting on her throne, instead overlooking the desolate and pitiful view Las Ruinas offered. Once a fortress that seemed unbeatable and unconquerable, Las Noches had become the epitome of failure and twisted dreams. The sands were still as white and the nights were still as black as they were since he came here, but they no longer had any hidden mysteries of power in them; they were gray and quite boring and would take a miracle to bring them back to their former glory.

"I don't stall."

She chuckled. "Yes, you never have. Anyway, there are two reasons why I called you here today. The first is that your friends are here." She turned just in time to see Ichigo's shocked eyes and gaped mouth. "They are a couple of minutes away from here and I'm sure that they're here for you."

"Huh? You're going to let them take me?"

"Yes."

"Didn't you say I couldn't leave because Aizen would find out about me?"

She didn't answer, her eyes hesitant. At first it was partly because she was afraid the rebels were going to eat him alive, but to know that they had gone so far for so long to seek him out calmed her worries, but now . . . Ichigo could see the battle in her eyes, whether she should say anything and if so just _what _to say. "There are greater things in hand now, things I can't exactly say right now."

Ichigo leaned back and placed his arms across his chest. "I don't trust you."

"I don't expect anything less from you, but for now just go along with it. Which brings me to the next reason why I brought you here." Harribel took something out from her the pockets in her hakama and studied it intensely. From what Ichigo could discern, the object was small and had a long chain. She suddenly nodded and extended the necklace to him, gesturing him to come take it. He approached Harribel with unsure steps but took the necklace from her.

The chain was a bright gold but the key attached to it was a rusty silver. The bow of the key was a circle inscribed with two smaller circles and adorned with three hands differing in sizes, completing the look of a clock, but lacking numbers. The rest of the key was attached to the middle of the clock and had no defining qualities except how old it was.

"What in the world is this?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I was told to give it to you."

He put the necklace on, which was mostly hidden by his shihakusho. "By whom?"

"That I can't tell you, but just keep it, please."

Ichigo opened his mouth to argue but stopped when he felt three familiar reiatsu come inside the door. He turned around and stared at his friends for the longest time. They seemed as if they had seen a ghost (though maybe he was a ghost compared to the Ichigo they used to know).

"I could've sworn none of you were this slow last time I saw you." He cried out in pain and rubbed his head from his spot on the ground. He looked up to see Rukia giving him the most murderous glare he had ever seen. "You midget! What was that for?"

A twitch appeared on her forehead and she kicked him to the other side of the room. "The first one is for making everyone worry so much and the kick was for calling me a midget."

Renji was immediately next to him, giving him a helping hand up. "You're not here to hit me, are you?" Ichigo asked suspiciously.

"I don't hit; I kick ass," Renji sniffed but couldn't hold back his trademark grin. "You look as stupid as you always have."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he shouted. Ichigo prepared to punch Renji but stopped when he saw his crying friend. "Hey there, Inoue."

"K-Kurosaki-kun," she managed to say between sniffles. She smiled, and although she was a mess, she conveyed every single ounce of happiness she was feeling. "Welcome back."

"As much as I hate to interrupt, I'm going to ask all of you to go back to the Living World; too many shinigami signatures are sure going to draw attention."

Rukia nodded. "Of course, Harribel-sama. We thank you for keeping Ichigo safe."

"It was no problem. He behaved quite well, even though I thought he would destroy part of Las Ruinas in a day."

Ichigo wisely kept his mouth shut.

"We'll be leaving now."

They all disappeared in a flash, leaving no indication that they had ever been there to begin with. Harribel was surprised that they all had honed their skills to that level and felt a glimmer of hope for the future. It was still beak and dark, and even though she knew she was going to die soon, she had guaranteed she wouldn't be dead completely.

"I just hope they weren't lying."

* * *

It was _loud_, so loud Ichigo could barely hear himself think or feel himself react, but he could make it out what the people closest to him were saying.

"Ichigo! Fight me!"

"No! Fight me!"

"Right now it's not time for you and your barbarians to create conflict, Zaraki-taichou."

"Oi! I want to fight the cold princess as well!"

Kyoraku chuckled nervously. "I don't think this is the time for battling, my fellow captains."

"Indeed! We should strategize!" Ukitake suggested in his trademark calm voice that quickly quieted everyone in the room.

"Um, yeah, but can we go to another place for this?" Even though they were in the spacious underground training room, Ichigo was feeling suffocated from all the people surrounding him.

"Yes, let us have a captain's meeting in the Meeting Room," Komamura offered and was received with unanimous approval. Everyone filed out the underground room and went upstairs. The shinigami that couldn't go to the meeting gave Ichigo comforting and approving looks, which made him feel much better about himself; so they weren't blaming him.

He didn't remember Urahara's shop to be this big, but then again, he had to accommodate what looked like a huge amount of people. Speaking of Urahara, where was the creep?

Toushirou, the quickest one, opened the shoji door to the Meeting Room, a simple but spacious place that had thirteen tatami mats in a circle. Yoruichi and Urahara were already sitting next to each other with matching grins.

"We got a mat for you, Ichigo!" Yoruichi said and pointed to the one next to her. "We know you want to sit next to me after everything we've been through."

Ichigo flopped to the mat next to hers and shot her a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?"

Her face morphed into a seductive look he was too familiar with. "Why, you already forgot about my perfect body?" she whispered, though it was loud enough for anyone that was paying attention to hear, namely a certain jealous subordinate that happened to be the Second Division captain.

Ichigo had never felt so hot and embarrassed before in his life and was silently grateful to whoever cleared his voice.

"We finally need to decide what we're going to do now that Ichigo is back," Urahara began, his voice serious and foreboding.

"Like I've said a million times before, we go in, hack shit, kill Aizen, and win." Kenpachi sounded bored, as if he had said this one too many a time, and everyone else had the same patient look, as if they had heard this one too many a time.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Zaraki-taichou," Unohana patiently replied; bless her heart for dealing with the Eleventh Division on a daily basis.

"The line of thought is right, though. We only have two months before the Summer Solstice and then he's Soul King."

"Soifon-taichou is right, but there has to be a more discreet way of doing things," Ukitake said.

"Don't tell me you all forgot what Kurosaki Ichigo being here means."

"Please elaborate, Kurotsuchi-taichou."

"That Arrancar woman said that once Kurosaki Ichigo left Hueco Mundo, everything was fair game, even Aizen finding out that he's alive."

"More of a reason to go there and hack shit!"

"So if Aizen knows Kurosaki is here, then what is the delay?" Hitsugaya's eyes steeled. "We should attack before he attacks us. The more unpredictable we are, the better. Maybe we can even kill him."

"Don't let your emotions sway your mind," Unohana admonished, though not unkindly. Everyone in the room except Ichigo knew how frayed Hitsugaya's nerves were with every passing day Hinamori didn't wake up from her coma. "We need to plan this carefully."

"I share Hitsugaya-taichou's opinion, as misguided as it is," Byakuya spoke. "Our plans have been thwarted consistently. If we have no plan then we can pull Aizen down from his elevated status."

"Or he could destroy us by tapping into the fact we have no plan to begin with," Komamura countered, but he didn't sound dismissive of the idea; it sounded as if he was seriously considering not doing anything.

"When are the Visored's coming back?" Kyoraku asked Urahara.

"Tonight."

"Then we should attack tonight," he said with a certain air of finality.

Ichigo expected the room to erupt into chaos as every captain expressed their disapproval and tried to convince Kyoraku to rethink his plan, but nobody did. In fact, every captain had a resolute look on their face, as if they each agreed this was the best choice.

"Wait, you don't mean that, right?" he asked, waiting for Yoruichi to turn around and laugh at him for believing the lucrative idea for a second.

She did no such thing. Instead the spotlight turned to him, urging him to elaborate. "Do any of you know how hard it is to invade Soul Society, let alone get in?"

"You did it once," Soifon pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but none of you took me seriously; besides, you had bigger fish to fry and Soul Society wasn't at its best. But now that Aizen is in power, he's going to take this opportunity to finish us once and for all."

"So just what do you suggest, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

His mouth moved on its own. "Let me invade Soul Society by myself." The room erupted into discussion and arguments for and against his plan, even though they hadn't heard his reasoning. He yelled, "Aizen will think I'm playing hero" ––he lowered his voice once he had everyone's attention–– "and not take me seriously. He'll probably send one of his captains after me, but I have no intent of fighting. I'll open the Senkaimon from that side and that's when you come in. It'll make everything possible."

"How do you know we can't use the Senkaimon?" Ukitake asked, surprised.

"I didn't, but I knew there must be a reason why the plan sounded crazy."

"Kurosaki-san, you're the only person that has any hope of defeating Aizen. Why should you be sent on this recon mission over Yoruichi or Soifon, who are trained for this?"

_Because this is all my fault and I'm tired of running away_. "Because I'm the only one that can take on Aizen if something happens."

"We're willing to fight him and die, Ichigo," Yoruichi countered.

"I'm no longer the hope of the world you think. It doesn't matter anymore that Aizen can't control reality over me when in reality he's far stronger than I will ever be. If we had years, I would understand what you guys are trying to do, but no, we have hours, maybe." A deep silence had befallen the room as every captain tried to gauge the other captains' reactions to see if they bought Ichigo's words. "Please, let me have this."

"Since you are so . . . adamant about this, I think we'll let you go, Kurosaki-san." Kyoraku didn't sound convinced, but Ichigo only cared he had been granted what he wanted. "However, we can't allow you to go alone. We'll send Yoruichi-san and Soifon-taichou, masters of stealth, to go with you and help you. Please don't argue," he added when he saw the teen's mouth open. "It is for the best. Any captains wish to add something?"

Stone faces answered him.

Kyoraku sighed. "Very well. You leave at eight o'clock."

Everyone was too engrossed on their own thoughts to notice the slight fluctuation of reiatsu outside the shoji door.

* * *

He really hated how long the walk was to the captain commander's office. Using shunpo was strictly forbidden past the first gates, part of it because Aizen-soutaichou disliked the feeling of urgency it brought and part because most of the people who knew shunpo couldn't control it. Besides, he couldn't shunpo when he had such an important guest coming with him; wouldn't want her getting lost and _causing trouble_. So, as much as Nakamura Arashi disliked it, he needed to walk all the way to the first.

"Nakamura-taichou! What brings you he–– ah, you brought _her_."

"No need to make it sound like I'm some kind of pest. I can kill myself and take my information along with me."

Arashi smiled nervously and put a hand on his guest's shoulder. "Ah, no need to do that, Kaigan-san. You know, Aka-fukutaichou, there's no need to be so hostile to our guests."

She started playing with a piece of black hair that fell over her chest, a habit she did whenever she was about to speak bluntly. "Guest or not, she's still a traitor and I hate traitors."

"Get in line," Kaigan murmured.

"What was that?"

"Aka-fukutaichou, I request a private meeting with Aizen-soutaichou."

"He's busy at the moment. Can you come back later."

Kaigan stepped in, undeterred by the hand on her shoulder trying to restrain her. "Look, I _really _don't want to be here, but I want Aizen to keep his part of the deal and to do that I need to keep _my _part. So, busy or not, I have something to do."

Aka Mizuki glowered at the traitor with malicious red eyes. Here was a girl who thought she could be parading around Soul Society as if it were nothing and then _demand _an audience with their captain commander! Preposterous! Besides, shouldn't Aizen-soutaichou keep this bitch behind bars? She could potentially inspire disloyalty in their ranks, something they needed to be very careful about since not everyone agreed with their captain commander on many issues. If they saw what Kaigan Arutemisu was doing, hundreds of shinigami would deflect and join those _rebels, _potentially destroying her captain commander's dream of becoming king.

A slippery slope, yeah, but dammit, it was possible.

"I'll take it from here." Arashi used his hand to guide their guest a little longer until she violently shoved his hand away. He barely restrained his chuckles and was content to find out that Kaigan was so out of it that she didn't explode in his face.

"Soutaichou! Kaigan-san requests a meeting!"

". . . Come in."

The guards standing outside opened the door for them, letting them pass through to the spacious office that overlooked Soul Society. Kaigan had come to such office once before Aizen took over and she had been too dazed to pay attention to the room. It hadn't changed at all, from what she could see, but she noticed the suspicious lack of paperwork on Aizen's desk. Well, as an almost-King, he didn't have to do anything.

"Kaigan-kun, what a surprise. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I'm sure you felt Kurosaki Ichigo's presence earlier this evening, right?"

"What?" Arashi exclaimed, befuddled. Already? Wow, they had predicted the boy to come _after _the Summer Solstice, not _before_. He really was something to defy their captain commander's predictions.

"Why of course," he continued, ignoring the Seventh Division's captain's outburst. "What about it?"

"They're planning on sending Kurosaki here, today, to begin the invasion."

"Hm, that is unexpected, but I understand their desperation. What is his mission?"

"Open a Senkaimon from this side. Once that's done, Kurosaki will come to you and battle."

"Surely you jest, Kaigan-san; why would the rebels send their shining beacon of hope on a hopeless mission?"

She shrugged. "Kurosaki was intent on getting what he wanted, and this is what he wanted, so they gave it to him." Her hazel eyes became determined and she clenched her fists. "Now, Aizen, you promised me something."

He chuckled, light and not becoming of a man that had single-handedly killed one hundred thousand people. "I keep my promises, Kaigan-kun. Your brother is safe and you have won my trust. You can stay here in Soul Society if you wish."

"Very well."

"Now, Nakamura-taichou, could you please call the Kage Mitsugo to my office? I think they've been on standby for too long."

Arashi bowed deeply and left the room, for the first time ignoring the farewell calls from the guards and Aizen's lieutenant. Aizen meant business if he was calling the most ruthless killers in all of Soul Society to handle a single boy. He was very interested in seeing the power of the Kage Mitsugo, since they seldom appeared in Seireitei at all.

Kaigan put her arms across her chest and sighed. "I still hate you."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

* * *

Ichigo had trouble keeping up with the two shinigami that had practiced shunpo for perhaps five times his lifetime. Urahara had opened a Senkaimon to the Fifth District of South Rukongai, far enough so that Aizen wouldn't immediately find them. Yoruichi and Soifon were cloaking their reiatsu to such extremes that the only reason he knew they were with him was because he could see them, albeit barely in the night.

Shiba Kukaku had moved her fireworks emporium to South Rukongai after Aizen had returned. She kept tight communication with Yoruichi, her best friend, but barely made any noise; if she so much as squeaked, Kukaku would have a shinigami captain or two knocking on her doorstep, waiting to tear her down. Urahara had said that Kukaku had been using all this time to create a new way to infiltrate Seireitei and had offered her assistance to the infiltrating shinigami.

The house was no longer grand and instead resembled a beat down shack. The Rukongai citizens were curiously looking their way but mostly kept to themselves, completely unaware or uncaring of what was going on in Seireitei at the moment. Yoruichi entered first, followed by her devoted follower, with Ichigo bringing up the rear.

The place was small and empty, with a couple of fireworks lined up on the walls and a small desk to the farthest side of the room. Kukaku Siba chuckled and stood up, ambling towards them with a bright smile.

"You continue to impress me with your speed, Yoruichi."

The dark-skinned shinigami grinned and patted her long time friend on the back. "I'm still not used to seeing you behind the counter, old friend."

"Money is tough to come by. Not many people feel like buying fireworks because there's nothing to celebrate for. Some shinigami sometimes come and buy stuff, but my negative stigma is very famous, I hear." If she felt bad about the lack of money, she was not showing it. She looked at Ichigo and offered him a wicked grin. "I wasn't surprised when that idiot called me, saying you were back and ready to cause some trouble. Don't you feel a sense of déjà vu, Ichigo?"

"Yeah. I don't like it."

"Me neither, but we can't do anything about it."

Soifon exhaled through her nose rather loudly. "I don't mean to interrupt, but every second we're here is another second we waste."

Kukaku laughed and patted Soifon on the back. "Sure, sure, I understand. I know this is a secret mission, so I found a way to get into Soul Society without anyone finding out."

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "How did you do that?"

"I have connections and people willing to take risks. The passage is safe and has been tested repeatedly. The last time someone went through it was earlier today."

Soifon's eyes widened and she stiffened. "Someone has been going into Seireitei without anybody finding out?" She growled, "You've been hiding this from us, right?"

Kukaku shrugged. "This person's agenda is none of my business as long as she doesn't harm the rebellion. So far, the reason why you've been safe was because of this person, so don't go pointing fingers." She sauntered to the far side of the room, behind her desk, placed her hand on the wall, and pushed. Something clicked and a hole appeared by Kukaku's feet. Ichigo traipsed to the square hole and looked down, unsurprised to see that there seemed to be no end to it.

"Once you're down, just follow the path and you'll get to Seireitei. The password to open the door is _strawberry_, so don't forget it."

Ichigo wryly said, "Wow, couldn't make it more obvious."

"Sometimes the most obvious things are the most unpredictable ones."

Before Ichigo could reply, both Soifon and Yoruichi jumped into the hole, making Ichigo scramble behind them. The path was pitch dark, but there was a green light moving quickly away from him. He had seen that green light before once when Renji had used to illuminate a dark room, a Kido spell that had no name. He followed the green light, but every time he got close the glow got farther away.

_". . . You're pretty good." _

_"You should really pay attention to your surroundings. . ."_

_"Ichigo! Get out of here!"_

The Visored came to full stop and placed a hand on one of the tunnel's walls to support himself. What was that? The only voice he could recognize was Yoruichi's, and he had never heard her so desperate before in his life. But the tunnel was eerily quiet and the light kept moving farther away, implying that Yoruichi had said nothing and he was instead losing ground. Ichigo shook his head and took off, no longer lagging so far behind. For the time being, he needed to ignore what he had heard and focus on the mission; his friends depended on his success.

Light streamed from the farthest side of the tunnel, indicating that one of the two women had said the password and the doors had opened. He squinted against the influx of brilliance from the outside world. He cautiously stepped outside, his hand ready to dart for Zangetsu's hilt just in case. However, Soifon and Yoruichi were waiting for him at the side, each focused on looking out for any incoming enemies.

"Nothing has changed," Soifon murmured.

"Everything has changed," Yoruichi replied. Whether it was because she was still used to the Seireitei of a hundred years ago or she meant it literally Ichigo didn't know.

"We're in the sewers. The only people that know the sewers and could do this are––"

"Those from the Fourth Division, yes. If only we had been able to organize ourselves better we would've found out we have allies in here." Soifon had a strange smile on her face, one Ichigo had never seen in his life (though he had only seen her smirk, never smile). "Well, there's no time to spend on the ifs. Let's move."

Yoruichi knew her way the best around the sewers after spending so long mapping them out. It was she that had helped the Fourth Division members find their way out whenever they had gotten lost, though she had never seen the light of Seireitei before. The sewers, according to Yoruichi, could lead any savvy explorer to wherever they wished if said adventurer knew where she was going. Although the Senkaimon had never been a place she was interested in going, she had known all along that the knowledge would come in handy, and indeed it had; even Soifon, legitimate Second Division Captain, didn't know the sewers as well as Yoruichi did.

"I'll go first," Soifon offered once they saw the stairs leading to the surface. "Kurosaki Ichigo is the only one that can battle Aizen and Yoruichi-sama knows the sewers better than anyone, so if anything happens, you two can escape."

Even though it was dim, Ichigo could see that Yoruichi wasn't pleased with this arrangement. However, neither could deny her logic and they accepted her offer.

The bee shinigami crept upstairs with finesse that would make any master proud. After a couple of minutes of tense silence, Ichigo heard something being taken out followed by a resolute "clear;" both rebels rushed after Soifon soon afterwards. One of the floor tiles had been taken out, explaining the noise he had heard beforehand, and Soifon was crouching next to the hole, her zanpakuto drawn.

"It's too quiet," she whispered. "I don't like it."

Yoruichi grunted in approval. "Yeah, me either. Let's take out the guards and get this over with. Ichigo, watch out for anything suspicious."

Ichigo didn't argue and took his role seriously, hiding behind one of the columns behind the entrance to the courtyard for a better view. Yoruichi's distressed voice kept replaying in his head and he wanted to make sure he never had to hear it. However, Soifon was right; besides the guards, there was nobody in the place. Knowing Aizen, he was going to come in the most inopportune moment, but he was prepared to jump directly into battle, drawing as much power as he could from his hollow to finish this as fast as he could.

"Soifon!"

"_Jinteki Shakusetsu, Suzumebachi!"_

Ichigo drew out Zangetsu and shunpoed next to the shinigami. Yoruichi and Soifon were in a stare down against two people fully covered in black ninja clothing. The only visible part was their eyes and even that was hard to discern in the moonlight. The duo had the same body dimensions and position, each holding identical katanas on their right hand and a tanto on their left.

"You dodged that. You're pretty good," Soifon grumbled.

Ichigo stiffened. This sounded strangely familiar.

"For future reference, to make the place too quiet; I could smell your plan a mile away," Yoruchi said impishly.

Ichigo held back a sigh; trust those two to make a serious situation into a light one. The two ninjas didn't share their playful mood and readied their stances for an attack. Yoruichi and Soifon did the same and he could see both of them preparing to attack when Yoruichi tensed and turned around.

"You should pay attention to your surroundings, Kurosaki Ichigo," a deep voice murmured behind him. He heard the sound of steel meeting soft flesh and slowly turned his head around to see Yoruichi's pained face and looked down to see a shiny metal dripping with a dark liquid protruding from her gut. Yoruichi grunted again and he felt dread consume him when another blade joined dangerously close to her heart.

"Ichigo! Get out of here!"

The Senkaimon! If he could get here, he could go warn all the captains about this failure. He needed to get Soifon and–– He let out a gasp when he saw the unmoving body of Soifon on the ground, a pool of her blood covering her completely. The three men were sauntering towards him from both the front and back, relishing in the panic and pain each step caused him.

"Where is Aizen! I want to battle him!"

"Aizen-sama expressed his most sincere wishes to fight you, but he is unable to fight anyone at the moment," the ninja on the right answered him.

"After all, he has to save all his power for our invasion," the man behind him continued in the exact same voice.

The one on the left said, "We will use this Senkaimon to go after your pitiful rebellion next."

He snarled, "Bank––"

The Kage Mitsugo attacked and quickly overpowered him from all sides. One of them smashed him to the ground, breaking the tiles and leaving him immobile. Ichigo felt horrified at the image above him; three demons with black scarves billowing in the night, a red moon behind them illuminating their colorless eyes. He had no where to go, no one to save him, no power to save himself. He had never felt such helplessness, not even when Byakuya had taken Rukia away or when he tried to save Rukia from Aizen. He knew this was the end, but every moment the three men above him stalled was another moment of lost hope he had.

_You are so pathetic, King._

The one on his left side prepared his katana and went for the stab. Ichigo closed his eyes, unable to meet the sword, but ready for his fate. He waited, and waited, and waited, but no pain ever came.

_Open your eyes, stupid._

He did as his hollow told him to and was surprised to see that the sword was midway on its path downwards. Everything was still, unnaturally still, as if time had stopped. Ichigo stood up, careful not to accidentally impale himself with the katana, and looked around. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open when he saw two colossal doors standing right in front of the Senkaimon gate. They were nothing special but the sheer height and width made his heart pump faster. His feet moved towards it and his hand pushed the cool gray stone, but it wouldn't bulge. He did find a small keyhole close to the crack between the two doors, but it still wouldn't move.

_King, do I really have to spell it out for you? You've been carrying a key for a _fucking _day._

Ichigo fumbled for his neck and unclasped the chain, letting the key slide to his hand. He stared at it for the longest time before inserted it into the keyhole and turning it. The doors clicked and the slid open, revealing the treasure they hid: galaxies and stars and black space and the cosmos. Ichigo stared at it for the longest time until his hollow snapped him from his reverie and he stepped inside, leaving Soul Society and perhaps the world.

* * *

The hallway was impossibly long, with two empty walls running parallel to each other. A door stood behind him depicting a very familiar image of four people running in a mountainous region. Upon closer inspection he realized the picture portrayed Ichigo, Orihime, Rukia, and Renji on their journey back to the spot Urahara's Garganta would open to.

He wandered through the hallway, observing just how smooth the walls were and wondering if it was intentional. The only other picture was on the right wall and it depicted an aerial view of the meeting he had with the captains, Yoruichi, and Urahara a couple of hours ago, but the rest of the right wall and the whole left wall was completely barren. Going from such beautiful detail on the door now far behind him to the bland walls seemed a bit illogical.

_Where are we, Zangetsu?_

**_This is a place I have no knowledge_** **_of_.**

After a couple of minutes of walking he reached a very small sanctuary that overlooked the cosmos the doors had shown him. It had a dome supported by five columns and marble floors that reflected everything. A fountain that resembled a bird bath stood in the middle, and when Ichigo leaned to see what was in the bottom, the water reflected nothing.

"What the hell?"

"Welcome to the Crossroads, Catalyst," a childish voice belonging to a girl announced.

He yelled in surprise and tripped backwards, falling on his behind. Two children, twins for that matter, where standing next to where he once was. One had long brown hair meanwhile the other had messy, short brown hair, but that was the only feature that separated them; they wore the same ragged white robe, they had the same amber eyes, they had the same angelic face, and were the same height.

"I've had enough surprises for today. Who are you two?"

The boy extended his hand and Ichigo took it, albeit a bit hesitantly. Surprisingly, the boy packed more strength than what it seemed and he got up quickly. "My name is Aion."

"I am Daria. And we're the guardians of the Crossroads. And you are Kurosaki Ichigo, the Catalyst."

He scratched his cheek. "I don't understand. How did I get here?"

"The Temporal Key got you here, of course," Aion answered. "Didn't you use it to open the Destined Door?"

He felt around his neck for the key and was surprised to find it there. Hadn't he taken it off? "Is this the key? The one Harribel gave me?"

"Yes, that is the Temporal Key. It grants the Catalyst access to the Crossroads. From this place, you can go forward and backwards in time."

Ichigo laughed. "Sure, sure, whatever you say."

Daria looked at him blandly. "I believe he thinks we are fooling around, dear Aion."

"Time-travelling has always elicited such responses from Catalysts, Daria. It has been a long time since we've had a guest, remember."

She sighed. "I suppose."

Ichigo gaped at their banter. "Wait, you mean that from this place I can go anywhere I want in time? Can I go back to kill Aizen's mother or something? Because that's just what I need."

"The Crossroads doesn't work like that. The Crossroads has a limited number of specific events it can take you to, events the Temporal Key deems important. These are called Junctions. To further narrow the events, you cannot go to a time before you got the Temporal Key, as the key creates Junctions from its memories with its current Catalyst."

"The door you saw in the beginning of the hallway is the first Junction the Temporal Key allows you to go to," Daria continued after her brother. "The other image you saw on the right wall is another Junction you can travel to. In the current timeline you are living in, Shihoin Yoruichi and Soifon are dead and the rebellion is hours away from being extinguished. Ever since Aizen gained his godlike powers, the timeline has grown distorted and false by the Hogyoku, all for the sake of benefiting its master. As this age's Catalyst, it is your duty to stop the Hogyoku before reality itself crumbles."

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "If I change things will the timeline be fixed? Does that mean Aizen will die?"

Aion grimaced. "I wish it were that simple. You have a long journey ahead of you before the timeline is fixed. However, it is too early for you to understand completely. Why don't you try the power of the Crossroads and, once you have done what you deem important, come back here?"

"How do I come back here?"

"Just like a shinigami used to open a Senkaimon, only with the Temporal Key," Daria answered. "The Destined Door will appear only to your eyes and afterwards you know what to do."

Aion beckoned Ichigo to stand next to them and Daria beckoned him to stare the fountain. The water still didn't reflect him, but instead showed the picture of the meeting where they had decided to infiltrate Soul Society. Ichigo looked at Daria questioningly.

"You are wiser now than you were ten hours ago. Use your newfound wisdom to change things for the better, Ichigo. Now, immerse your head into the fountain and you'll be back there."

Though the Visored had a multitude of questions in the back of his mind, Yoruichi's desperate voice and Soifon's broken body haunted him. Foremost, he needed to find a way he would never have to feel those things ever again, and he had to guarantee a time where both shinigami were alive and well. He had been given a chance to do this, and even if it meant he had to involve himself with shady characters, he was willing to take the risk.

The twins observed Ichigo immerse his head and disappear from their view.

"Much misery awaits him, dear Aion."

"You underestimate him, my sister; as long as there is hope, the Catalyst will trudge forwards regardless of how bleak things look."

"I hope you are right. I really do."

* * *

***Kage Mitsugo: Shadow Triplets**

**Phew, what a ride. This chapter is more than half the story long, but there was a lot to cover so it was worth it. **

**After a long time of meditation and uncertainty, I decided to turn the story into a time-travel fic, though from you may or may not have noticed, it's not your typical time-travelling fic. I'll make sure to explain things as best as I can, but if you're confused or something, I'll do my best to explain what's going on.**

**So far, if you understand the power of the Temporal Key and Junctions, you're fine. **

**I really am taking the word AU to the letter.**

**Comments, criticisms, and concerns are greatly appreciated!  
**

**GAMF**


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